Borough Info > Brooklyn

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BROOKLYN

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Overview

Brooklyn is New York City's most populous borough, with nearly 2.5 million residents. It is the second most densely populated county in the United States after Manhattan. Brooklyn is located on the westernmost point of Long Island and shares its only land boundary with Queens to the northeast. The westernmost section of this boundary is defined by Newtown Creek, which flows into the East River.

Brooklyn's waterfront faces different bodies of water. Northern Brooklyn's coast is defined by the East River, while middle Brooklyn adjoins Upper New York Bay. Southwest is Gowanus Bay, connected to the Gowanus Canal. At its south westernmost section, Brooklyn is separated from Staten Island by the Narrows, where Upper and Lower New York Bay meet. Brooklyn's southern coast includes the peninsula on which stretch Coney Island, Brighton Beach and Manhattan Beach. The southeastern coast lies on island-dotted Jamaica Bay.

Brooklyn is characterized by cultural diversity, an independent art scene, distinct neighborhoods, and a unique architectural heritage. Brooklyn has something for everyone. Whether your interests lie in architecture, museums or amusement parks, culture or night clubs and nightlife, you'll find just what you're looking for, plus things you never expected. In Brooklyn, you can travel the world in one day, from "Little Odessa" in Brighton Beach to Chinatown in Sunset Park, to Polish Greenpoint, to African-American history in Bedford-Stuyvesant, to Caribbean Flatbush, to Latino Sunset Park and Bushwick, to Pakistani Midwood, to the world's largest Hasidic population in Williamsburg and Crown Heights.

Culture, arts and sports

Brooklyn is home to dozens of world class history museums, theaters, galleries, and arts organizations - large and small. From the renowned Brooklyn Museum, home to one of world’s most extensive and inclusive permanent art collections, to the Cyclone Roller Coaster.

Music lovers can enjoy BAM, the Brooklyn Academy of Music, as well as the Regina Opera Company, which stages full productions of the world's most beloved operatic works. Entertainment seekers can explore Brooklyn's dance clubs, jazz clubs, and bars showcasing cutting edge talent and offering alternatives for every taste - from relaxed hipster havens to futuristic karaoke bars - and from classic jazz to the best of the over-the-top Russian night club scene. There is never a day or a season in Brooklyn without an array of cultural riches to choose from.

Outdoor lovers have access to some of the world's most glorious waterfront views, from the world-famous Coney Island Beach to the Brooklyn Heights Promenade. Thousands of acres of Brooklyn parkland, including Prospect Park and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden inspire residents to cycle, jog, roller blade, picnic, or just relax.

Food and dining

Foodies will find interesting finds in many of Brooklyn’s diverse neighborhoods. Park Slope features a Farmer's Market at Grand Army Plaza on Saturdays and boasts four major "gourmet" food shops including Blue Apron, Union Market, Devine Taste, and Bierkraft. East Williamsburg gives residents access to the bounty of Hispanic food in Bushwick and "Black" and Carribean food in the Bedford Stuyvesant area. Bensonhurst features numerous fruit and vegetable stands, Italian bakeries with great breads, and small Italian specialty markets. And the list goes on and on.

Brooklyn residents enjoy Manhattan quality food at affordable prices. Mini-restaurant rows are emerging all over Brooklyn and you can you can explore established restaurant-heavy streets, often without reservation in Boerum Hill, Cobble Hill, Carroll Gardens, Park Slope, Fort Greene and Williamsburg.

Three notable restaurants are the romantic River Café next to the DUMBO area; the ultimate steakhouse, (according to many New Yorkers), Peter Luger, located in Williamsburg and Carroll Gardens' The Grocery a little place voted number one for food (tying with the Manhattan greats) in a recent Zagat guide.

Shopping

In the world of design, Brooklyn is a major capital. Over the last few years, the industry has looked to the borough for the latest trends and styles. And when the design world talks about Brooklyn, more often than not it's referring to Williamsburg. Once an industrial area known primarily for factories and warehouses, Williamsburg has transformed into a haven for artists, particularly those interested in furniture and product design.

When it comes to cutting-edge fashions in funky, off-the-beaten-path locations, savvy shoppers flock to a newly chic area called Carroll Gardens. Here Manhattan fashion district refugees are opening sleek boutiques without Manhattan's sky-high rents. Smith Street, between Atlantic Avenue to Second Place, is ground zero for the emerging Carroll Gardens shopping scene featuring a slew of groovy clothing, home furnishing and accessory outposts.

But there is more, Atlantic Avenue, is home to a long stretch of vintage and antiques stores and Park Slope has a fantastic selection of boutiques. Brooklyn shopping - you can spend days browsing and never see it all.

Getting Around

Brooklyn has an excellent transit system, with subway, buses and ferries helping you to get in and around the borough. 18 New York City Subway lines traverse the borough, so it is not surprising that over 92% of Brooklyn residents traveling to Manhattan use the subway.

The public bus network covers the entire borough. There is daily express bus service into Manhattan. New York's famous yellow cabs also provide transportation. There are three commuter rail stations in Brooklyn, including East New York station, Nostrand Avenue station, and Atlantic Terminal, the terminus station of the Atlantic Branch of the Long Island Rail Road.

The majority of expressways and parkways are located in the western and southern sections of Brooklyn and include, the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, Interstate 287, the Gowanus Expressway, the Prospect Expressway, New York State Route 27, the Belt Parkway, and the Jackie Robinson Parkway. Major thoroughfares include, Atlantic Avenue, 4th Avenue, 86th Street, Kings Highway, Ocean Parkway, Eastern Parkway, Linden Boulevard, McGuiness Boulevard, Flatbush Avenue, Pennsylvania Avenue, and Bedford Avenue.

Brooklyn is extensively connected to Manhattan by three bridges, the Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Williamsburg bridges, and a tunnel, the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel. The Verrazano Narrows Bridge links Brooklyn with the more suburban borough of Staten Island. Brooklyn shares three water crossings with Queens, the Kosciuszko Bridge, the Pulaski Bridge, and the JJ Byrne Memorial Bridge.

Schools, colleges and universities

Education in Brooklyn is provided by a vast number of public and private institutions. Public schools include the elite Brooklyn Technical High School , Midwood High School and The Leon M. Goldstein High School for the Sciences, to name but a few. Private schools include the highly competitive Packer Collegiate Institute, Poly Prep Country Day School, and St. Ann’s.

Brooklyn College is a senior college of the City University of New York, and was the first public co-ed liberal arts college in New York City. The College ranked in the top 10 nationally for the second consecutive year in Princeton Review’s 2006 guidebook, America’s Best Value Colleges. Brooklyn Law School is notable for its diverse student body and places 31st nationally for quality of students.

SUNY Downstate Medical Center is the oldest hospital-based medical school in the United States.

Long Island University is a private university in Downtown Brooklyn with over 6,000 undergraduate students. In Clinton Hill, the Pratt Institute is one of the leading art schools in the United States.

Real Estate

Brooklyn neighborhoods allow you to live near the city, without being swallowed up by it. Though just a short commute away from key commercial areas, Brooklyn properties still retain a cozy, quiet quality that makes a home there a haven. Check out Park Slope where attractive brownstone houses and apartments appear decidedly rustic. Or fall in love with Bay Ridge or Borough Park’s tree-lined rows of single-family dwellings, or the romantic, old-style Victorian houses of Flatbush. There are affordable houses, condos and co-ops in Kensington and Windsor Terrace. Another hot area known until recently as an artist community is Williamsburg, filled with lofts, and now, many new developments. Brooklyn Heights is a gorgeous and quaint residential community that is justly proud of its eponymous promenade.

Brooklyn real estate provides the best of both worlds: you’ve got the New York urban lifestyle—the night life, the arts and culture, the employment opportunities, and the best hot dogs on the continent—but you can still retreat every night to a simpler, quieter part of town.